How the Game of Poker Changed My Life

Baseball used to be the reason I woke up in the morning. I absolutely love every single aspect of the game. No other sport combines physical conditioning and mental toughness quite the way baseball does, and if you don't believe me, try standing at third base and throwing yourself in front of rawhide balls smashed at you with a gigantic hunk of wood.

All throughout high school I competed I the game I love so much. But after I graduated, there was no possible way I could continue to play the sport competitively, due to a combination of severe asthma and basically a lack of talent to move on to a better league. Shortly after I was forced to stop playing, withdrawals set in. I longed for every aspect of the game, but mostly I missed the pure competitive nature involved with the sport. I had no outlet for my longing, and was honestly contemplating joining a local slow pitch softball league. I knew however that nothing would be able to fill the void I was feeling. Softball would satisfy many of my urges, by the simple fact remained that playing slow pitch softball is not nearly the same game in the grounds of competition.

After awhile of searching for a replacement for baseball, I stumbled upon a game I had known for years. I had been a steady card player for several years, and I knew the basics of poker, but not until I started playing online trying to turn a profit, I realized how similar poker was to my game of choice. Of course there are no obvious similarities, but the subtle nuisances they have in common are incredible.

Being physically unable to perform in my beloved game, poker provided me with a challenge. It is the only other game that would keep me engaged to the extent that baseball did. Baseball and poker are the only teo activities in which you can always improve. As much as learn about both games, you begin to realize that there will always be something else to learn both on a diamond and at the table.